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Schabir Shaik was reportedly spotted playing golf in Durban yesterday - 7 months after his release on medical parole. If this is true, then it further undermines the criminal justice system in the eyes of South Africans. There is now no doubt that Shaik was indeed released for political reasons and not on medical grounds. The Democratic Alliance (DA) will be taking this matter up at the highest level. The Correctional Services spokesperson, Thami Zondi said in August, following a DA councillor sighting Shaik driving around Durban that, "As a department, we cannot force one to die, if one does not break the parole conditions then there is nothing we can do." It does however appear that Shaik has violated his parole conditions. The same spokesperson said that Shaik is allowed free time between 11am and 4pm on weekends and public holidays. If he was playing golf on a Wednesday, it indicates two things:

He is in violation of his parole conditions and therefore his parole can and must be reviewed
• His release from prison was for political reasons and not on medical grounds
Throughout this saga, the ANC government has made an absolute farce of Shaik's sentence and has made a mockery of the criminal justice system. From his imprisonment, to his release on medical parole and now application for pardon, the effects of his sentence have been seriously watered down. Ordinary imprisoned South Africans don't get to go to private hospitals, and some terminally ill inmates die undignified deaths in prison, having been denied a medical parole. The might of the law should and must be equal for all and cannot be bent for certain individuals. The DA will be taking this matter up at the highest level and will insist that Shaik's parole be reviewed.